On May 13, Mathias Cormann, Liberal senator for Western Australia and current Finance Minister tweeted: Bill Shorten confirms that he opposes tax cuts for newsagents, bakers, chemists and many other small businesses around Australia. here is a screen cap from Twitter
The tweet was retweeted 19 times including by the official Twitter accounts of the Liberal party and the National party, follow politicians and others.
This tweet mentioning newsagents reached over 200,000 people.
I was curious about the tweet as I had not heard of opposition to tax cuts for newsagents from Bill Shorten, so I asked Mathias Cormann as question in report to his tweet, on Twitter: @MathiasCormann Can you please provide evidence of this claim? #auspol #ausvotes I figured since he put the claim out there on Twitter this was the best place to engage with simon it as Twitter is a platform enabling conversations after all.
I genuinely expected a response quickly. Cormann did not respond. In fact, I waited a week and then tweeted Cormann again: @MathiasCormann I know you’re busy chasing re-election but we pay your wage. Please provide evidence of your claim. #auspol.
As of this morning, Saturday, May 21, Cormann has not responded nor have any of his political allies engaged further on this thread.
All I want is the evidence on which Mr Cormann has based his claim. If you read the thread you will see people attacking Cormann on the issue, themselves making political statements. My two tweets do not make nor are they intended to make any political statement. I have only one question – please provide evidence supporting your claim.
Any politician engaging on social media ought to be prepared to respond to queries on social media. I consider a tweet to be like someone standing on a street corner, on a box, making a speech to anyone within earshot.
On Twitter, I am within earshot of Mr Cormann. I am in the crowd listening to him. He has made a statement and I asked him a question as anyone could do in a crowd listening to him on a street corner.
It is disappointing Mr Cormann has ignored my one simple question.
So, I hit the internet to try and find evidence supporting Cormann’s claim. The only evidence I could find related to Bill Shorten’s budget reply speech where he says Labor supports tax cuts for small businesses. he goes on to say: Labor will support a tax cut for small business – but unlike the Prime Minister – we will not use this as camouflage for a massive tax cut to big multinationals.
In this he is referring to the re-definition of small businesses to be those earning up $10M and the proposed ramping up of tax cuts through to bigger businesses as laid out in the Coalition government budget.
I searched the Internet using a range of search strings and the only reference I could find to Mr Shorten and newsagents was one unrelated story in the AFR.
The only justification Mr Cormann might rely on is the budget response speech. However that does not stack up for the vast majority of newsagents fall within the $2M turnover threshold supported by Labor on the matter of tax cuts.
It frustrates me when any politician from any party makes a claim about an opponent for which there is no evidence to support the claim. My frustration turns to despair for our country when a simple question to a politician asking for evidence of such a claim is ignored.
All I can conclude is that Mr Cormann does not have the evidence to support his claim that Labour opposes tax cuts for newsagents, bakers, chemists and many other small businesses.
Mr Cormann was happy to take the claim yet has not had the respect of democracy to show the claim is true.
All this matters to me because small business is a key topic in this election. This agenda was set in the Government’s budget. They put small business on the table in the policy debate. Labor joined them in talking about small business.
Any politician talking about their opponents and their small business policy ought to be prepared to back claims about opponents with facts. Regardless of who one votes for, the truth matters.
Footnote: turnover will only include agency commission. So, for lottery products, transport tickets, phonecard sales, mobile phone top up etc. you only include commission in your turnover figure.
I’m a newsagent with a turnover over 2 million. The re classification of small business will help me which labor opposes. Might use the instant asset write off to upgrade my computers if it comes through 🙂
99% of politicians give the other 1% a bad name
Jon, I added a footnote for clarity:
Footnote: turnover will only include agency commission. So, for lottery products, transport tickets, phonecard sales, mobile phone top up etc. you only include commission in your turnover figure.
Don Quixote
best of luck
Bill may not have said it but, I get the feeling Bill does not want to give any business a tax cut he would rather go the other way. (May 6, 2016 – Bill Shorten is claiming a $65 billion “budget improvement” by blocking company tax cuts and keeping the deficit levy on high-income workers, as he goes to the July 2 election promising voters that Labor has “learned the hard lessons” of its past divisions.)
Ed all I want is for Mr Cormann to show me where what he claims was said was actually said. This post is not about feelings.
Mark, at this moment, do you envisage that you will vote for the same party that you voted for in the last Federal Election?
Glenn it is too early. I want to read their policy statements.
Mark I understand how agency commission is counted. We are over 2 million excluding any agency commission, and welcome the liberal re classification of a small business which is what we feel we are.
Ha, do you think a staffer has just crapped his pants a little. The trouble with the political landscape at the moment is point scoring is what it is all about, instead of concentrating on policy it is fear mongering at its best.
Tell me what you believe in, then what the plan is, then how do you plan to get us there.
I also believe we need to change it so that people can have discussions again, not just i am right, so you are wrong. Tell me why you think i am wrong, or why you believe what you do. Most of us are adult enough we will listen – you might not change our mind, but i will listen and we both might learn a thing or two.
No worries Jon, many do not. I was working with a newsagent last week who has been including lottery sales in their report to their landlord and effectively overstating their position by $1m+ a year.
Dean I agree. I want intelligent discussion and respectful debate from all sides of politics, politicians and their followers.
This is why I asked the question of Mr Cormann.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our politicians on both sides used Question Time to brain storm together to help produce policies instead of tit for tat.
Working at the coal face in a newsagency it is easy to see that everyone, I mean everyone is tired of politicians playing games.
“On Twitter, I am within earshot of Mr Cormann”
Following someone on Twitter doesn’t mean they have to answer you. At best, you’re yelling at them hoping for an answer that suits what you want to hear.
In any case, a quick flick through his twitter account makes it obvious he doesn’t reply to anyone – he’s not ignoring you specifically. To expect a response in this case is foolish.
Thanks for your assessment Neil. I disagree with you. I did not use caps and therefore did not yell at him. It is reasonable to expect him to provide evidence of his claim.
Sure, but ask him for that evidence in a forum he listens to.
“I figured since he put the claim out there on Twitter this was the best place to engage with simon it as Twitter is a platform enabling conversations after all.”
I doubt you really believe that. You’d know he doesn’t reply to anyone – this just reads more like a story built around you being ignored even though you knew you would be.
Neil your assumption is wrong. While he rarely responds, I expect he or a staffer reads tweets to him or that mention him. At the very least his party would have someone reading them. So, I am confident they have the question.
Mr Cormann is official spokesperson for the Liberal campaign. As such he needs to engage and be prepared to stand behind any claim he makes.
If you say so 🙂
Have fun yelling into the ether
Not yelling. But you will think what you want to think.